Sunday, January 1, 2012

Knicks 114, Kings 92 - Recap

Hey now! That was a surprise! I didn't see this one live, but caught the recap on MSG and saw lots of good things. As I had mentoned before, the Kings are the type of young, athletic, energetic team that seems to always catch the Knicks at the wrong time and give them a beat down. But with Carmelo Anthony calling it a "must-win", the team rallied and gave the Kings a whooping.

Photo bySteve Yeater/ Associated Press

First off, before anybody starts foaming at the mouth and clawing for the ESPN Trade Machine, this win does not diminish Amar'e Stoudemire's role or importance on the Knicks. STAT was out with a sprained ankle and Josh Harrellson filled in at the power forward slot admirably. However, Stoudemire is still very much a part of the team's future, and will still have a big role.

With that said....

The Knicks' frontline had themsleves a ball game. Harrellson filled in as the starting PF and put up 14 points and 12 rebounds on 5-11 shooting, 4-8 from downtown. He was also very active on defense, poking balls away, and manning the paint with Tyson Chandler. After showing obvious signs of rookie jitters, Jorts played like an NBA veteran and will now surely earn more minutes.

Tyson Chandler had easily his best game as a Knick with 22 points, 7 rebounds, and 3 blocks. In the fourth quarter, Chandler showed moments of utter dominance, finishing tons of plays at the hoop, drawing fouls, and deterring drivers on the defensive end. The Kings' starting big men, DeMarcus Cousins and Chuck Hayes to 14 points on 4-16 shooting.

Toney Douglas did what Toney Douglas do! Toney needed a good game, and while he shot poorly from the field (6-18), he started off hot, making three 3-pointers in the first quarter, and that's all it took. 17 points, 8 assists, 2 steals and only 1 turnover is a fine ballgame, Toney Douglas.

Landry Fields needed this game as well. He padded his stats a little bit in garbage time, but 21 points, 5 rebounds, and 10-16 shooting is great. He attacked the basket, hustled on all plays, and was active on defense. It was truly a vintage performance from Landry.

Melo was Melo. He didn't stop the ball too much, and got others involved with 5 assists, dropping 23 points along the way.

Bill Walker looks like he's going to get consistent minutes off the bench this season. Billy the Bully has a nice offensive repertoire, and aside from his always silly fouls, he looks like he's finally putting "it" all together.

Other Odds and Ends

Donte Green tried super hard to get the Knicks called for a flagrant foul. He eventually succeeded, when on a fast break, Mike Bibby grabbed his arms to stop the shout, to which Green tossed himself to the ground, spinning out of control. Superb acting, Donte.

Marcus Thornton has a very pouty face. That is all.

Well that was a nice win to get. Hopefully, this will get the team gellin', and give them some confidence going into two win-able games at home vs. the Toronto Raptors and Charlotte Bobcats.